Liquefaction of industrial gases requires the provision of refrigeration for cooling and liquefying the industrial gas. Typically such refrigeration is provided by the turboexpansion of a portion of the industrial gas stream with subsequent heat exchange of the turboexpanded portion with the remainder of the industrial gas to liquefy that remaining portion. Turboexpansion is an energy intensive step and it is quite costly especially when larger amounts of refrigeration are required.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a system for providing refrigeration for liquefying an industrial gas wherein not all of the requisite refrigeration for liquefying the gas is generated by turboexpansion of a portion of the industrial gas.